Water Containment Apparatus and Method, and Associated Fastener

ABSTRACT

A unique water containment wall or barrier employs a flexible envelope that is extendable in a longitudinal direction from a collapsed condition for storage and transport into an expanded position for use. Support ribs disposed at spaced apart positions along the longitudinal direction provide support and shape retention to the envelope, the interior of which is fillable with water to weigh down the envelope down against oncoming or expanding waters. A unique fastening mechanism attaches a pair of wail or barrier sections together by using an inflatable member to force apart a pair of profiled ribs on the two sections into engagement with matching-profile walls of a channel member that bridges together the two sections over the ribs. A bumper mechanism rises and falls with water levels to protect the wail or barrier against impact by floating debris.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to water containment devices such as those used to form flood barriers, and more particularly to a water containment wall section featuring a flexible envelope having an expandable and collapsible interior fillable with water and a series of support ribs attached thereto at spaced positions therealong. The invention also relates to a fastener useful in coupling together multiple wall sections end-to-end to form a flood wall of suitable length for a particular application, and a bumper mechanism for preventing damage to a flexible envelope water containment device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

To prevent the spread of a body of water in flood conditions, it is known to erect a flood wall or barrier along the shoreline of the body of water. Common prior art solutions for forming such a wall include sand bags and water-filled tubes. The sand bag solution involves filling individual bags with sand, and then piling the filled bags atop one another to form a wall-like barrier. The weight of the sand keeps the bags in place, while maintaining enough flexibility to the overall bag so that the bags can substantially conform to one another in a tightly-packed configuration to make the overall wall substantially water-tight. Alternatively, flexible water tubes are laid out horizontally along the ground and filled with water, which provides the weight to hold the tube in place against the flood water, and expands the interior of the flexible tube to create the height of the resulting barrier.

Shortcomings in these prior art solutions include the limited height to which the bags or tubes can be stacked in a stable manner, thus limiting the achievable flood-barrier height.

Other solutions include the NOAQ flood protection system (http://www.noaq.com), which employs air-filled tubes with a skirting that extends outward from one side of the tube to lie on the ground on the side of the tube at which the flood water is expected. The weight of the flood water on the skirt is used to hold the air-filled tube in place. As with water-tube designs, the achievable barrier height is limited by the substantially cylindrical shape of the tube.

Another solution is the Wata-Wall system (http://www.wata-wall.com), where interlocking hollow plastic blocks fit together end-to-end in a manner communicating the hollow interiors of the blocks with one another so that the resulting wall can be filled with water through a hose to provide the necessary weight to hold the wall in place against the flood water. Multiple rows of blocks can be stacked atop one another to increase the effective barrier height. However, when not in use, storage of the blocks is space intensive to due their non-collapsible rigid structure.

The FLOODSTOP barrier by Fluival Innovations (US 2010/0150667) similarly employs water-filled plastic containers that couple together end-to-end to form a flood wall, but differ in that they have openings on the water-facing side of the containers so that the containers are automatically filled by the flood water itself. Again, the individual modules are not collapsible for storage.

Examples of other prior art flood control solutions are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,984,577, 6,443,655, 6,394,705, 8,001,735, 6,672,800, 6,840,711, 7,121,764, 7,214,004, and 7,214,005 and U.S. Patent Application Publications 2010/0310315, 2010/0129156, 2011/0033242, 2011/0268506, 2010/0150667, 2010/0047019, 2009/0252557, 2009/0232608, 2009/0064598, 2006/0140722, and 2006/0124913.

Applicant has developed a unique flood control solution employing an inventive combination of ground anchors with a water-fillable expandable/collapsible structure to allow space-efficient collapse for transport and storage when not in use, while allowing a significant barrier height employing the weight of flood water to help secure the structure in place against the force of oncoming flood water.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a water containment apparatus comprising a flexible envelope enclosing an expandable and collapsible interior space and having an expanded shape defining a front side to be faced toward the body of water, a rear side situated opposite the front panel to face away from the body of water, an underside spanning between lower ends of the front and rear sides to lie atop the ground, a top end joining together the front and rear sides, and a pair of end walls at opposing ends of a longitudinal dimension of the envelope; supports ribs attached to the flexible envelope at spaced apart locations along the longitudinal dimension of the envelope; and a primary filling mechanism through which water is introducible into the interior space to build up an accumulation of water in said interior space to weigh down the envelope against the ground in a stationary position in which the front side of the envelope blocks spread of the body of water.

Preferably the flexible envelope is collapsible into a compact condition the longitudinal dimension by bringing together of the end walls.

Preferably the flexible envelope is suspended from the support ribs.

In one embodiment, the support ribs include front support ribs running up the front side of the flexible envelope and rear support ribs running up the rear side of the flexible envelope, and each front supported rib is paired with a respective rear support rib at a respective one of the spaced apart locations along the longitudinal dimension of the envelope.

Preferably there is an air inlet on the flexible envelope that is connectable to an air pump or compressor for forced air expansion of the flexible envelope from the collapsed condition to the expanded shape. The air inlet may communicate with a sealed air chamber that runs along the longitudinal dimension of the flexible envelope, for example at or adjacent the top end thereof, and that is separated from water-receiving areas of the interior space that fed by the filling mechanism.

In one embodiment, the front and rear sides of the expanded shape of the flexible envelope slope upwardly toward one another to form a peak at the top end thereof. The interior may comprise divided chambers including at least one central chamber disposed beneath the peak of the flexible envelope and fed with water by the filling mechanism, and a respective cascading chamber on each side of the at least one central chamber under a respective one of the sloped front and rear sides of the flexible envelope, each cascading chamber being fully separated from said at least one central chamber over a substantial height of the cascading chamber while leaving an opening to the at least one central chamber through which water can cascade from the at least one central chamber into the cascading chamber under substantial filling of the at least one central chamber with water from the filling mechanism. Preferably the central chamber(s) and each cascading chamber comprise separate drain outlets. There may be provided a fastening flap extending outward along the longitudinal dimension of the flexible envelope at one of the end walls thereof, wherein a topside of the fastening flap and an end portion of the underside of the flexible envelope adjacent the other end wall have opposite ones of hook and loop fastener elements to enable fastening together of two of said apparatus end-to-end using said hook and loop fastener elements by seating of the end portion of the underside of one of said two apparatus atop the fastening flap of the other of said two apparatus.

Preferably the interior space of the flexible envelope is divided into separate chambers along the longitudinal dimension.

In another embodiment, the support ribs comprise arc-shaped support ribs positioned at the rear side of the flexible envelope, and an outside of the arc-shape of each arc-shaped support rib faces toward the front side of the flexible envelope. Preferably each arc-shaped support rib is pre-loaded into the arc-shape and held in said arc-shape by a tension member coupled between upper and lower end of said arc-shaped support. A ground skirt preferably extends from the front side of the flexible envelope for lying beneath the body of water, and comprises one or more primary ground skirt chambers fed by the primary filling mechanism, for example one or more perimeter ground skirt chambers running along a perimeter of the skirt.

The perimeter ground skirt chambers may comprise two L-shaped perimeter ground skirt chambers, each one running outward from the front side of the flexible envelope and then partially along the front side at a distance outward therefrom, leaving a gap between the two perimeter ground skirt chambers at ends thereof opposite the front side of the flexible envelope. The interior space of the flexible envelope is preferably divided into a plurality of chambers, which may include a plurality of primary chambers fed by the primary filling mechanism, and secondary chambers independent of said primary filling mechanism. The primary chambers preferably include upright primary chambers located between the front and rear sides of the flexible envelope and above the underside thereof at spaced apart locations along the longitudinal dimension. There may be provided at least one bottom primary chamber running along the underside of the flexible envelope, which may be communicated with the upright primary chambers through ports in divider walls separating said bottom and upright primary chambers. Each bottom primary chamber may be disposed between an adjacent pair of said upright primary chambers, the ports being provided in side walls of the upright primary chambers. Each primary ground skirt chamber may be open to at least one of the upright primary chambers. The secondary chambers may comprise upright secondary chambers each positioned between two of the upright primary chambers, and may be fed by an automatic secondary filling mechanism to automatically introduce water from the body of water, for example via one-way intake ports opening into the secondary chambers at the front side of the flexible envelope adjacent the lower end of said front side.

A respective ground anchor may be connected to a lower end of each support rib, and may comprise a rib attachment portion and an auger member to be rotationally driven into the ground to secure the rib attachment portion to the ground. A secondary ground engagement feature may be provided on the rib attachment portion to engage the ground independently of the auger member, and may be provided by a ground engagement unit that is selectively attachable to and detachable from the rib attachment portion to enable swapping of ground engagement units of different types according to ground conditions at the location.

The flexible envelope may be reinforced at select positions thereon, for example at the spaced apart locations at which the support ribs are positioned, for example by strips of webbing or other reinforcement material spaced apart along the longitudinal dimension and running down the front side of the flexible envelope from the top end thereof toward the lower end of the front side.

A bumper mechanism may be supported in front of the front side of the flexible envelope for blocking impact thereof by flowing debris in the body of water, and may be supported for displaceable movement up and down the front side of the flexible envelope with rise and fall of the body of water at said front side. The bumper may comprise a hollow interior with an inflatable air chamber for providing buoyancy on the body of water, and may comprise a water chamber disposed below the air chamber, separated therefrom by a flexible diaphragm, and having ports to permit communication of the water chamber with the body of water. A volume of air in the air chamber above a volume of water in the water chamber may provide a level of buoyancy maintaining the bumper partly above and party below water level of the body of water.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of erecting a barrier for water containment, the method comprising (a) providing the apparatus of the first aspect of the invention; (b) expanding the apparatus out of a collapsed state into the expanded shape; and (c) introducing water into an interior of the flexible envelope of the apparatus to build an accumulation of water therein to weigh down the flexible envelope.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a water containment apparatus comprising a flexible envelope comprising flexible material, enclosing an expandable and collapsible interior space and having an expanded shape defining a front side to be faced toward a body of water to be contained, a rear side situated opposite the front side to face away from the body of water, and an underside spanning between lower ends of the front and rear sides to lie atop the ground; a filling mechanism through which water is introducible into the interior space to build up an accumulation of water in said interior space to weigh down the envelope against the ground in a stationary position in which the front side of the envelope blocks spread of the body of water; and a bumper mechanism comprising a bumper supported at the front side of the flexible envelope for blocking impact of the front side by flowing debris in the body of water, the bumper being supported for displaceable movement up and down the front side of the flexible envelope with rise and fall of the body of water at said front side.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a water containment apparatus comprising at least one ground anchor engagable with the ground at a location at which the water containment apparatus is to be erected to form a barrier for containing a body of water; at least one upright support having a lower end attached to said at least one ground anchor in an orientation placing an opposing upper end of the upright support at a position spaced horizontally from the lower end at an elevation thereabove; a flexible envelope enclosing an expandable and collapsible interior space, the envelope comprising a front face to be faced toward the body of water, a rear face situated opposite the front panel to face away from the body of water, a bottom face connected between lower ends of the front and rear faces to lie atop the ground, and a header at which the upper ends of the front and rear faces are connected, the flexible envelope being connected to each upright support to suspend the flexible envelope from the at least one upright support in a position seating the bottom face on the ground when each ground anchor is engaged to said ground on a same side of the front face as the rear face; and a primary filling mechanism through which water is introducible into the interior space to build up a vertical accumulation of water in said interior space to weigh down the envelope against the ground in a stationary position in which the front face of the envelope blocks spread of the body of water.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention there is provided a method of erecting a barrier for water containment, the method comprising (a) anchoring a first end of each one of at least one support to the ground with the support oriented upright to position a second end of said upright at a greater elevation than said first end at a horizontal distance therefrom to suspend a flexible envelope from the upper end of the support in a position resting a bottom of said flexible envelope on the ground and facing a front face of said envelope away from said at least one support toward an area to which a body of water is to be retained; (b) with said flexible envelope expanded out of a collapsed state and anchored to the ground by the at least one support, introducing water into an interior of said flexible envelope to build a vertical accumulation of water to weigh down the flexible envelope.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention there is provided a fastening mechanism for selectively securing first and second elements together along an edge of the first element and a mating edge of the second element, the mechanism comprising a first flexible rib running along the edge of the first element and projecting to one side of said first element from a surface thereof, the first rib having a first profiled side pointing away from the edge of the first element over the surface of the first element; a second flexible rib running along the mating edge of the second element and projecting from a surface of said second element to a same side of the second element as the first rib, the second rib having a second profiled side pointing away from the mating edge of the second element over the surface of the second element; an elongated channel-shaped member having inwardly facing profiles on opposing side walls of the channel-shaped member that are respectively matable with the first and second profiled sides of the first and second ribs, the channel-shaped member sized for fitting of said channel shaped member over the first and second ribs on the first and second elements in a position pointing said profiles of the channel shaped member toward the profiled sides of said ribs; and an inflatable member arranged for receipt in a position between the ribs on the first and second elements for inflation of said inflatable member while in said position to force said ribs apart to drive the profiled sides of said ribs into tighter engagement with the profiles of the channel shaped member, whereby the ribs are fastened together to prevent pulling of the edges of the two elements away from one another.

According to a seventh aspect of the invention there is provided a fastening mechanism for selectively securing first and second elements together along an edge of the first element and a mating edge of the second element, the mechanism comprising a first flexible rib running along the edge of the first element and projecting to one side of said first element from a surface thereof, the first rib having a first toothed-profile pointing away from the edge of the first element over the surface of the first element; a second flexible rib running along the mating edge of the second element and projecting from a surface of said second element to a same side of the second element as the first rib, the second rib having a second toothed-profile pointing away from the mating edge of the second element over the surface of the second element; an elongated channel-shaped member having inwardly facing teeth on opposing side walls of the channel-shaped member, the channel-shaped member sized for fitting of said channel shaped member over the first and second ribs on the first and second elements in a position pointing said teeth of the channel shaped member toward the toothed profiles said ribs; and an inflatable member arranged for receipt in a position between the ribs on the first and second elements for inflation of said inflatable member while in said position to force said ribs apart to drive the toothed profiles of said ribs into tighter engagement with the teeth of the channel shaped member, whereby the ribs are fastened together to prevent pulling of the edges of the two elements away from one another. The ribs may run along the front side of a water containment apparatus from adjacent the top end of the front side toward to the lower end of the front side for use in securing multiple ones of the water containment apparatus together end to end to define a required water barrier length for a particular application.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention:

FIG. 1 is a perspective end view of a water containment wall section of a first embodiment the present invention.

FIG. 1A is a partial overhead perspective view of the water containment wall section of FIG. 1 showing a close-up of a vertical internal end chamber and a perimeter ground skirt chamber with a front cover of the vertical internal end chamber removed to illustrate a connection between the two chambers.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the water containment wall section of FIG. 1 from a rear side thereof facing away from the body of water to be contained.

FIG. 2A is a perspective end view of a bow-shaped support rib of the water containment wall section of FIG. 2, illustrating a connection of a tension wire between the ends of the support rod.

FIG. 2B is a perspective side view of the support rib end of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3 is a partial bottom perspective view of the water containment wall section of FIG. 2 from the rear side thereof to show a close-up of one ground anchoring boot or foot of the wall section.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the water containment wall section of FIG. 1 from a front side thereof facing toward the body of water to be contained.

FIG. 4A is a partial perspective view of the water containment wall section of FIG. 4 from the front side thereof showing a release plug for one of two perimeter ground skirt chambers.

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of the water containment wall section at the same end as FIG. 1 from the rear side thereof.

FIG. 5A is a perspective view illustrating connection of connecting rods that run along a header at the top of the water containment wall.

FIG. 5B is another perspective of the connecting rods of FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of the water containment wall section from the front side thereof near the same end as FIGS. 1 and 5, but with a front panel of the wall section omitted to illustrate vertical interior chambers thereof.

FIG. 6A is a partial perspective view of the water containment wall section of FIG. 6, but with a reinforcement strap also omitted to show the interior of and end-one of the vertical chambers.

FIG. 6B is a partial perspective view of the water containment wall section of FIG. 6 showing bottom chambers located below wider ones of the vertical chambers that alternate along the wall section with narrower ones of the vertical chambers.

FIG. 6C is a partial perspective view of the water containment wall section of FIG. 6 from the rear side thereof with a rear panel of the wall section omitted to illustrate fluid connections between the bottom chambers through the narrower vertical chambers.

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of two of the water containment wall sections connected together end-to-end.

FIG. 8 is a partial front perspective view of the two water containment wall sections of FIG. 7 illustrating a front-side connection therebetween.

FIG. 9 is a partial rear perspective view of the two water containment wall sections of FIG. 7 illustrating a rear-side connection therebetween.

FIG. 10 is an overhead front perspective view of the two water containment wall sections of FIG. 7.

FIG. 11 is an overhead rear perspective view of the two water containment wall sections of FIG. 7.

FIG. 12 is a rear perspective view of the two water containment wall sections of FIG. 7.

FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of a fastener mechanism useful as an alternate form of connection between the water containment wall sections.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the fastener mechanism of FIG. 13 prior to fastening thereof.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the fastener mechanism of FIG. 13 prior when fastened.

FIG. 16 is a schematic illustration of an angled section-connecting rod for connecting two wall sections together at an angle to form an inside or outside corner around the body of water to be contained, instead of the straight section-connecting rod illustrated in the other figures to connect two wall sections in-line with one another.

FIG. 17 is an overhead front perspective view of two water containment barrier sections of a second embodiment of the present invention connected together end to end in an expanded state ready for use.

FIG. 18 is a front perspective view of the barrier sections of FIG. 17 with front wall panels thereof removed to illustrate internal features of the barrier sections.

FIG. 19 is a rear perspective view of the barrier sections of FIG. 17 with rear wall panels thereof removed to illustrate internal features of the barrier sections.

FIG. 20 is a partial closeup perspective view of the barrier sections of FIG. 17 at a peaked top end thereof with the front and rear wall panels removed.

FIG. 21 is a partial closeup perspective view of the barrier sections of FIG. 17, showing an air hose connection between air tubes of the sections that are useful in extending the same from the collapsed state to the expanded state.

FIG. 22 is a partial overhead perspective view of one of the barrier sections of FIG. 17 with the front and rear wall panels and air tubes thereof removed to show a fill tube for filling of the barrier sections with water.

FIG. 23 is a partial front view of one of the barrier sections of FIG. 17 with the front wall panels thereof partially omitted.

FIG. 24A is a perspective view looking upward along the rear side of the barrier sections of FIG. 17 to illustrate use of a fastening mechanism similar to that of FIG. 13 to fasten together the rear walls of the barrier sections, wherein an end wall of a channel member of the fastening mechanism is cut away for illustrative purposes.

FIG. 24B is a perspective view of the cut away end of the channel member of FIG. 25A.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view looking upward along the front side of the barrier sections of FIG. 17 to illustrate use of the same fastening mechanism as FIG. 25 at the front walls and to illustrate a water connection between the two sections for filling of both sections by a water supply line coupled directly to only one of the sections.

FIG. 26 is a rear perspective view of the barrier sections of FIG. 17 with the rear wall panel removed to reveal an inlet end of a connection pipe of one of the barrier sections that is coupled to the fill pipe of the other section by fittings shown in FIG. 25 in order to form the water connection between the two sections.

FIG. 27 is a front perspective view of two water containment wall sections of a third embodiment of the present invention connected together end to end in an expanded state ready for use.

FIG. 28 is a rear perspective view of the two water containment wall sections of FIG. 27.

FIG. 29 is a rear perspective view of the two water containment wall sections of FIG. 27 with a rear wall panel thereof removed for illustrative purposes. FIG. 30 is a front perspective view of the two water containment wall sections of FIG. 27 with a front wall panel thereof removed for illustrative purposes.

FIG. 31 is a perspective view looking upward along the rear side of one of the wall sections of FIG. 27 and showing a ground anchoring foot or boot thereof with no optional appendages attached.

FIG. 32 is a perspective view like that of FIG. 31, but showing use of an optional spade-type appendage attachment on the ground anchoring foot or boot.

FIG. 33 is a front perspective view of the water containment wall sections of FIG. 27 with an added bumper mechanism protecting the flexible envelope of the wall section from impact with waterborne debris.

FIG. 34 is partial front perspective view of one of the water containment wall sections of FIG. 33 looking upwardly at the bumper mechanism thereof from below.

FIG. 35 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the bumper mechanism of FIGS. 33 and 34.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a fluid containment wall section 100 designed to be portable and reusable, and utilizing the weight of rising floodwaters as an integral component of the barrier. Easy to install with minimal manpower and removable after floodwaters recede, the barrier can be used for retention of fluids or to prevent the flow of fluids to the other side of the barrier, whether for flood control or other purposes. The wall section is designed so that multiple sections can be coupled together end-to-end to form the required length of barrier required for a particular application.

The wall section 100 employs a envelope 10 that encloses a hollow interior space between walls or panels of flexible material, for example flexible PVC sheet, although other materials may be employed. The envelope can be stored and transported in a compact storage condition in which its hollow interior is substantially collapsed to reduce the size of the envelope. For use, the envelope is expanded into the shape shown in the drawings and described herein below, and anchored to the ground at a side of the envelope opposite the body of water that is to be contained. Supports extend up from the ground anchors to suspend the envelope at a height above ground, with the bottom of the envelope seated on the ground. The flexible envelope is then filled with water in the manner described below to provide the envelope with sufficient weight to cooperate with the upright supports to hold the envelope in place against the oncoming flood water.

More detailed explanation of the structure of the water containment walls section 100 is provided as follows.

With reference to FIG. 2, top header connecting rods 104 are connected together end-to-end to run along a top end or header of the flexible envelope to provide support and rigidity between vertical support ribs 112 that curve downward from the header of the flexible envelope at spaced positions therealong for anchoring to the ground at a rear side of the wall section. Each vertical support rib 112 may be a vertical support graphite rod that has pre-charged tension via a tensioning wire 114 that is coupled between the ends of the support rib to hold the same in an arcuate bow-shape. Anchored to the ground, as described herein further below, the support ribs 112 provide structural support to the wall section 100 and variable resistance of forces applied by the height, movement and mass of fluid against the flexible envelope from the front side thereof.

The header connecting rods connect the parallel support ribs 112 side to side so that there is no side to side movement therebetween. The connecting rods may be graphite rods with hollowed out centers to facilitate the interconnection of the rods with one another via a bungee cord, rope, or similar elongated flexible member 106 running through the series of connecting rods, as described in more detail below. In the first embodiment, a first end connecting rod 104 a resides at respective end of the flexible envelope 10. From the first end connecting rod 104 a, a series of intermediate connecting rods 104 b extend along the header of the flexible envelope before finally connecting to a second end connecting rod 104 c that resides at the opposing end of the header. The opposing ends of each connector rod 104A, 104B, 104C having respective male and female configurations, whereby the rods are connected end to end by engagement or plugging of the male end of one rod into the female end of the next rod. In the first embodiment, the straight connecting rods engage to one another in linear alignment, corresponding to a straight-line configuration of the wall section. In other embodiments, where the length of the containment wall section 100 is to deviate from a straight line path, other connection options may be employed, for example employing pivotal or swiveling corner connectors between adjacent connecting rods.

A straight section-connecting rod 102 a is used to connect the top header connecting rods 104 of the wall section to those of another wall section. With reference to FIG. 2, this section connecting rod 102 thus projects from the first end connecting rod 104 a past the respective end of the flexible envelope. Like the header connecting rods 104, this section connecting rod 102 has opposing male and female ends so as to be connectable between the first end connecting rod of one wall section and the second end connecting rod of another wail section to couple the header connecting rods of the two sections together end to end, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 10-12. This straight section connecting rod 102 a is purely linear in shape, thus connecting the two wall sections together in-line with one another.

For use in settings where two adjacent wall sections need to be placed at angles to one another, an inside/outside corner section-connecting rod 102 b shown in FIG. 16 may be employed instead of the straight section connecting rod 102 a. The male and female end portions of the corner section connecting rod are obliquely angled relative to a linear central portion of the rod, for example at a 22.5 or 45 degree angle. The angled end portions engage with the ends of the adjacent first and second end top header connecting rods 104 b, 104 of the two wall sections to be connected.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate use of the bungee cord top header interconnector 106 to provide an interconnection between all header connector rods 104 a, 104 b, 104 c to facilitate setup and tear down the wall panel 100 without complete separation of the connector rods from one another. Bungee cord 106 is used to connect from the first-end connecting rod 104 a to the second-end connecting rod 104 c through the hollow interiors of these end rods and the interconnecting intermediate connecting rod 104 b. The end connecting rods 104 a, 104 c each feature an annular stop washers 108 fixed inside the cylindrical interior of the rod at a suitable location along the connecting rod so as not to interfere with insertion of the male end of another rod. With the bungee cord passing through each washer and carrying enlarged heads 108 a on its ends that won't fit through the washers, these washers form bungee end point retainers 108 that cooperate with the enlarged heads 108 a on the ends of the bungee cord 106 to prevent withdrawal of the bungee cord ends from the respective end connecting rods 104 a, 104 c.

Accordingly, the bungee cord cannot be removed form its position inside all of the header connecting rods of the respective wall section. Accordingly, even when the head connecting rods have their ends uncoupled from one another during disassembly, the header connecting rods all remain connected by the bungee cord to prevent loss or misplacement of any header connecting rod. The bungee cord has enough slack or stretchability to allow the cord to bend through 180-degrees at the connection between each adjacent pair of header connecting rods to allow the rods to be laid parallel to one another in a bundle for storage and transport.

Referring to FIG. 5, top header T-connector 110 provides a hollow sleeve through which the header connector rods 104 can slide at horizontal part 110 a. A more vertical downward branch 110 b of the T is for accepting an upper end of a respective one of the support ribs 112. With each T-connector 110 having its downward opening branch 110 b fixed to the upper end of a respective support rib 112 and the header connecting rods passing through the horizontally opening branch 110 a, the T-connectors thus attach the assembly of header connecting rods to the series of support ribs 112.

With reference to FIG. 2, a tension wire is attached to each of the support ribs 112 adjacent each of its ends, and has a length less than that of the rib. During the manufacturing process, the rib 112 is pre-charged into an arc and is preloaded into a bow-shape held in place by the wire 114. The wire 114 is terminated on each end by a termination plate 116. With reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B, each termination plate 116 is arcuate in shape, with a radius of curvature generally matching the radius of the circular cross-section of the rib 112 so that the plate 116 can be seated in a conforming manner against the circumference of the rib 112. A diametrical slot 112 a is cut in the rib 112 to extend a short length into the rib from its end face. The wire 114 passes through the slot 112 a from one side of the end portion of the rib to connect to the termination plate on the other side of the rib. At its upper end, the rib may extend sufficiently past the termination plate to insert this end portion into the downward branch of the respective T-connector and leave the termination plate below the T-connector.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the flexible envelope 10 features a front wall panel 218 that faces forward to the oncoming flood threat, and an opposing rear or exterior retention wall panel 118 whose purpose is to retain water and act as an integral component to the structural support of the wall section 100. The front and rear panels 218, 118 are seamed together along their top ends to define the header or top end of the flexible envelope. Although not illustrated in the drawings, each support rib 112 is connected to the rear wall 118 by passage of the rib 112 through an open-ended sleeve running along the exterior surface of the rear wall 118 from adjacent the bottom end thereof to adjacent the top end. The lower end of the rib extends out from this sleeve for attachment to a respective anchor boot, as described herein further below, and the top end of the rib extends out from the sleeve to attach to the respective T-connector. When the flexible envelop is expanded and deployed for use, the front wall panel 218 lies generally vertically, hanging from the top end of the rear wall near the top ends of the ribs, while the opposite rear wall panel 118 curves arcuately up from the ground to the header of the envelope, following along the curvature of the ribs 112 that run up to the header in the sleeves of this rear wall panel 118. End wall panels 220 interconnect the front and rear wall panels at opposing horizontally-spaced ends thereof. A bottom or floor 318 panel spans from the lower end of the curved rear wall panel 118 to the lower end of the vertical front wall panel 218, and from the lower end of one end panel 220 to the other, thus cooperating with the front, rear and end wall panels to close off an interior space of the envelope.

As best shown in FIG. 3, an anchor boot 122 is attached to the lower end of each support rib 112 and takes all of the structural pressure to ensure no lateral movement of the wall section 100. The anchor boot may be a molded rubber boot that houses the lower end point of the rib 112. An anchor boot plate 126 a is a removable plate that slides into place over the bottom face of the anchor boot 122, and is locked thereto, in order to provide a mounting solution for securing the anchor boot 122 to the ground through surface anchoring appendages 126 b on the bottom of the boot plate 126. These appendages may vary in format, for example being metal spikes, suction cups, flat rubber surfaces, etc. depending on the ground surface the wall section 100 will be installed on for a particular use. Accordingly, a boot plate with one type of anchoring appendage may be substituted for a boot plate of another type to best suit the given situation. Spikes may be used on pierceable ground, while suction cups or high friction rubber may be used on harder, less penetrable surfaces.

To further anchor the boot 122 and attached support rib 112 to the ground, a ground anchor auger bolt 128 may be driven into the ground through a ground support D-ring 126 c attached to a surface of the anchor boot plate 126 a or anchor boot 122 to present the opening of the ring outward of the boot perimeter. The auger bolt better fastens the wall section 100 to the ground during the installation process to ensure that the wall section 100 is not compromised by environmental forces such as high wind. The auger bolt 128 assists the anchoring appendages in the integrity of any lateral movement of the wall section 100.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the bottom or floor panel 318 panel of the flexible envelope not only spans from the lower end of the rear wall panel 118 to the lower end of the front panel 218, but projects beyond its sealed connection to the lower end of the front panel 218 to form a ground skirt that provides a weighted base that increases in weight by the amount of mass and volume of flood water that covers and bears down on it when the flood water reaches the ground skirt.

With reference to FIGS. 6 and 6B, the interior space of the flexible envelope bound between the front panel, rear panel and end panels is not a singular open space, but rather is subdivided into separate chambers. At each end panel 220, and at spaced apart positions therebetween, primary internal vertical support chambers 420 are bound between the front and rear wall panels 218, 118, from the bottom panel up to the header, by dividing walls 420 a. Between each adjacent pair of primary internal vertical support chambers 420, a primary bottom chamber 404 is separately enclosed between the front and rear wall panels, between the divider walls 420 a of the adjacent vertical support chambers 420, and between the bottom panel and a bottom chamber top panel 404 a spaced a short distance upward from the bottom panel. Each primary vertical chamber may have its own narrow front wall section instead of relying on the main front wall panel 218 to close the front side of the chamber, in which case the front wall panel 218 may be fused to the left and right end walls 220 and the front face of the intermediate upright chambers spaced inward from those end walls.

Flexible chamber fill-tubes 402 each extend between neighboring primary vertical support chambers 420 by reaching across a larger secondary vertical chamber 421 disposed between the neighboring pair of the primary vertical support chambers. Each secondary vertical chamber spans between the front and rear wall panels 218, 118 and from the bottom chamber cover 404 a up to the header of the flexible envelope. Through the flexible tubes 402, air and water can transfer from one primary vertical chamber 420 to another, across the separate secondary vertical chamber 421 between them. As shown in FIG. 6, there may be provided multiple sets of the flexible fill-tubes 402 at different heights along the vertical chambers.

With reference to FIG. 6C, a port or opening 403 is found in each divider wall 420 a inside the flexible envelope near a bottom end of the divider wall in order to fluidly communicate the primary vertical chamber 420 bound by said divider wall with the respective primary bottom chamber 404. As also shown in FIG. 6C, a memory foam pad 316 is bonded to the bottom surface of the bottom or floor panel 318 over the full area thereof. During installation and setup of the wall panel 100, the ground surface is watered down so that when the memory foam is compressed under the weight of water later added into the chambers of the wall section, the compressed foam provides a substantially water tight seal that conforms to the undulations in the ground surfaces.

Outside one of the end panels 220 of the flexible envelope is a 3-way air and water valve 400 that is fluidly coupled to the one of the primary vertical chambers 420 located at that particular end panel 22, and thus is also fluidly coupled to all the other primary vertical chambers 420 through the flexible fill tubes 402, and to all the primary bottom chambers 404 through the ports 403. One inlet port of the three-way valve is configured for selective coupling of an air hose thereto to convey air into the primary vertical chambers 420, and the other inlet port of the three way valve is configured for selectively coupling of a water hose thereto to convey water into the primary vertical chambers 420.

With reference to FIG. 1, two integrated water-weighted tubes 300 extend along perimeter edges of the ground skirt portion of the bottom or floor panel 318, each first extending outwardly away from the front wall panel 218 along a respective end of the ground skirt, and then turning through ninety degrees to run partially along the lengthwise edge of the ground skirt lying opposite the lower end of the front wall panel 218. Each such water tube thus forms an L-shaped perimeter chamber running along two perpendicular perimeter edges of the ground skirt. Each water tube 300 reaches into a respective one of the two primary vertical chambers at the opposite ends of the flexible envelope, as shown in FIG. 1A, so that the water tube will automatically fill with air or water under filling of that primary vertical chamber. Filled with water, these tubes 300 weigh down the perimeter of the ground skirt portion of the floor panel. With the outer ends of the water tubes (i.e. the ends thereof opposite the front wall panel 218 of the flexible envelope 10) spaced apart along the respective edge of the ground skirt by a gap 301, the tubes are designed to hold the floor panel 318 down in place will allowing flood water to rise and flow onto the surface of the floor panel 318 through the opening or gap between the tubes 300.

Still referring to FIG. 1, a border strap 320 at the front fringe of the floor panel 318 provides a durable surface to mount and attach additional ground support D-rings 126 c for use of additional ground anchor auger bolts 128 to secure the front edge of the floor panel 318 down to the ground during initial installation before filling of the water tubes 300 and running of flood water onto the ground skirt. The auger bolts 128 also aid the water tubes in holding the ground skirt down in place against the oncoming flood water.

Strips of reinforcement material 120, for example nylon webbing conventionally used for vehicle tow straps, run down the front and rear wall panels 218, 118 at spaced apart locations along the header, preferably including the locations along the header at which the primary internal vertical chambers 420 are located, which preferably also match the locations of the upright support ribs 112 along the header. As shown, the strips 120 of the first embodiment continue from the bottom end of the front wall panel 218 along the top surface of the ground skirt portion of the floor panel 318 to the front edge thereof opposite the front wall panel of the flexible envelope. For example, the strap 120 may be cross-stitched to the border strap 320 at the front edge of the floor panel, bonded to the top surface of the floor panel 318, and stitched into a loop at an end of the strap that is molded into the body of the respective anchor boot 122, where with reference to FIG. 3 a boot strap bolt 124 runs through the anchor boot 122, passing horizontally through the loop at the end of the strap 120 that is molded in place in the boot. The strap bolt 124 may also be molded in place in the boot. The connection of the ground skirt portion of the floor panel to the reinforcement straps 120 that terminate at the anchor boots 122 provides optimal resistant to lateral movement of the wall structure 100.

Each reinforcement strap may be bonded to the surface of the rear wall panel 118 up to the top header of the wall section panel 100, stitched and redirected down to the intersection of 218 and 318 and cross stitched and terminated at 118. That is, each strap preferably runs fully around the wall section, running across the bottom of the floor panel from a fixed connection to its border strap, running up the rear wall from its fixed connection to the anchor boot, fixed to the header defined at the joint of the front and rear walls, running down the front wall to the ground skirt portion of the floor panel, and running therealong to the fixed connection to the border strap at the front edge. The strap provides structural webbing leveraging the gravitational forces of water or fluids contained within the wall section 100 and applied to the surface of the floor panel 318, and provides expediential lateral sheer pressure imposed on anchor boot 122 as water/fluid levels increase on 118. That is, the

With reference to FIG. 9, the reinforcement straps 120 a at the ends of the flexible envelope additionally feature stitched-in pull tie-loops 120 b fixed to the strap at spaced locations along its travel up the curved rear wall panel 118 to provide end-point connections on the wall section for coupling to an adjacent wall section. Variable (i.e. length adjustable) tie straps 520 are each horizontally coupled between a respective aligned pair of the tie loops 120 b on the two walls sections. The tie straps 520 provide lateral stability and connectivity from one adjacently connected the wall section 100 to another. A secondary purpose of the tie straps is to provide a functional ladder from which installation and maintenance technicians can use to access upper levels of the wall sections 100 during installation and maintenance.

With reference to FIGS. 4 and 8, on the front side of the wall sections, the wall sections need to be connected in a manner covering and sealing the space between the front wall panels of the two wall sections to prevent water from getting past the wall formed by these interconnected wall sections. For this purpose, a primary connecting panel 500 forms an extension of the front wall panel 218 and floor panel 318 to extend past the end panel 220 at one end of the flexible envelope and. The primary connecting panel 500 runs from the front edge of the floor panel 318 continuously to top of the end panel 220. A welded or otherwise formed back loop at the top of the primary connecting panel accommodates sliding of a section-connecting rod 102 a, 102 b through it.

The primary connecting panel may be permanently attached or releasably fastened to the wall section, and feature a suitable fastening element for cooperation with a fastening element at the end of the second wall section opposite the second wall section's connecting panel. For example, FIG. 8 schematically illustrates a custom injection-molded zip-like fastener 530 used to secure the connecting panel 500 to each of the wall sections 100, whereby the primary connecting panel provides a means to connect the end wall panel 22 of the wall panel 100 to that of another the wall panel 100. As shown in the drawings, the end ones of the primary vertical chambers of the wall section may deviate form the otherwise flat, vertical front face of the remainder of the wall section by smoothly curving from that flat vertical plane to the horizontal plane of the floor panel 318, with the primary connecting panel following this curved transition between its vertical and horizontal portions.

Referring to FIG. 10, a secondary failover or failsafe connecting panel 510 may be provided beneath and behind primary connecting panel 500 for likewise connection between the end panels 220 of the adjacent wall sections 100 in case the primary connecting panel should fail, for example being puncture by floating debris carried by the floodwater. As shown, the secondary connecting panel 510 may be shorter in length, reaching down from the header of the flexible envelope down to the floor panel 318, but not reaching fully to the front edge of the floor panel.

Turning now to operation of the wall section, the wall section is initially stored and transported in a compact condition, where the flexible envelope is collapsed in an accordion-like manner bringing its end walls 220 toward one another, as allowed by the flexible front and rear wall panels and flexible internal tubes 420. The end walls and internal divider walls may also made of flexible material, and may be made of a same flexible material as the front and rear walls. With the unit compacted into such a flat-pack configuration, and the likewise accordion- or pleat-folded ground skirt and then be folded back over one of the end wall panels 220 to lie along the bottom edge thereof to further collapse the folded-up wall section into a configuration of minimal area.

Once on site at the location where flood protection is needed, the ground-skirt is folded out from over the respective end wall, and the end wall at which the three-way valve 400 is supported is anchored to the ground with the respective end-one of the anchor boots and the corresponding end-one of the additional auger bolts at the front end of the ground skirt. The flexible envelope is expanded, which may be aided by connecting an air compressor or pump to the valve 400 that cooperates with the internal tubes and ports of the envelope to form a primary filling mechanism. This forces air into the primary internal chambers 420, 404 of the flexible envelope and the primary perimeter chambers or water tubes 300 of the ground skirt portion of the floor panel 300. With reference to FIG. 4A, a drain plug 302 at the free end of each water tube 300 is closed to prevent the air from simply blowing through or draining from these primary chambers. With the air acting to expand the primary bottom and vertical internal chambers of the flexible envelope, the envelope is expanded along its longitudinal dimension (i.e. the dimension measured between the end wall panels 220) and erected along its height dimension (measured between the header and the floor panel), thus bringing the front wall into a taught condition both vertically and horizontally. This initial inflating of the primary chambers 300, 404, 420 thus provides initial structural support to the wall section 100.

With the air supply disconnected or turned off, the primary filling mechanism is then fed by a water hose, causing the primary vertical and bottom chambers of the flexible envelope and the perimeter chambers of the ground skirt to fill with water. This replacement of the air with water adds weight to the structure, which then resists to any lateral forces applied to the wall section 100. The water in the bottom chambers also delivers even compression to the foam padding underside of the wall structure 316 which ensures a water tight seal with the ground. The filling process may be carried out remotely, for example by radio control.

Rather than filling each wall section with water individually, the multiple walls sections are first erected and connected together end to end. In addition to the above described connection of the section to the next at the header and front and rear walls, an outlet port (not shown) at the end of the section opposite the three-way fill valve 400 is coupled by a flexible hose to the fill-valve 400 of the next wall section, whereby the primary chambers of an entire flood wall made of multiple interconnected wall sections can be filled through a single valve. As the water fills the wall sections, the air from these primary chambers is displaced onward through the primary chambers of the interconnected wall sections to the outlet port at the free end of the last wall section in the series. With the outlet port of the last wall section in the connected series closed off, filling of water through the first wall section displaces the air from the primary chambers of the first wall section onward into the next, thus aiding in air-driven expansion of further wall sections in the series. With the last wall section expanded, and the air pressure therein building under this displacement of air along the series of wall sections, the outlet port on the last wall section can then be opened to release the air and make room for full water-filling of the primary chambers of this last wall section.

Although not shown in the drawings, the last wall section of the series has multiple support ribs connected to the assembly of header rods at the end of the wall section that is not joined to the preceding wall sections in the series. These multiple support ribs lie in non-parallel vertical planes to provide a tripod-like support at this free end of the wall section to prevent tipping of the front and end walls of the walls section at this free end. Similar additional support may likewise be employed at the free end of the first wall section in the series. With the two end-sections braced in this manner, and the rigid header connecting rods of the sections all connected together end-to-end, a stable overall wall structure is achieved. The header connectors may employ simple plug-in male-female connections between them to reduce assembly and disassembly time compared to threaded-interconnections, as the stable anchoring of the end sections of the flood wall is cooperable with male-female rod connections of notable length to prevent any de-coupling between connection rods without threaded or other captive connections between the rods. However, use of a threaded coupling between the section-connecting rod of one section with the header connecting rods of the next may provide additional structural integrity without the hassle of threaded-couplings between each and every connecting rod of the wall sections.

When flood water approaches the wall section, it runs onto the ground skirt, with little or no seepage underneath as the weight of the water-filled perimeter tubes 300 on the ground skirt keep it tight against the ground. As the water level accumulates on top of the ground skirt, the added weight further improves the interface of the ground skirt with the ground, and also resists any attempted displacement of the wall section along the ground by water pressure acting against the front wall 218 of the flexible envelope.

Referring to FIG. 1, water intake portals 222 are located on the front wall 218 of the flexible envelope just above the primary bottom chambers 404 between the primary vertical chambers 420. A spring loaded hatch/flap at each intake portal 222 thus allows uni-directional flow of rising flood waters into the secondary vertical chambers 421 inside the flexible envelope, thus forming a secondary filling mechanism that automatically conveys flood water into the wall section. With reference to FIG. 6, exhaust vents 224 are located in the front wall of the flexible envelope near the top of the secondary vertical chambers so that as water comes into the wall section 100 via the intake portals 222, air within these secondary chambers 421 of the wall section 100 is expelled through, these vents. The vents may be in the form of one or more horizontal slits in the front wall panel, over which small vertical strips of flexible material are attached in a sufficiently spaced apart, or sufficiently loose, manner to allow airflow through the slits while maintaining significant strength of the front panel across the slits therein.

So in addition to the initial hose-fed vertical accumulation of water in the envelope, the oncoming flood water contributes further water accumulation in the envelope to increase the weight thereof to improve the wall sections stability against oncoming flood water. The front wall not only contributes to formation of the water retention chambers that take on water as flood waters rise and flow through portals 222 and retain water as flood waters increase in height, to increase the load bearing ability of the wall structure, but also protects the rear wall 118 from damage. Even if the front wall is punctured, the rear wall braced by the support ribs 112 may still effectively hold back flood waters. As the front wall panel 218 defines the front face of the wall section exposed to the flood water, it may be made of a more durable material than the other wall panels to better resist puncture or tearing under impact by ice, logs, tree branches, or other debris conveyed by the flood water. For example, the front wall panel may be made of, or reinforced with flexible Kevlar sheet.

The spring loaded hatch/flap of each intake portal automatically closes under back pressure of water inside the respective chamber to retain water within the wall section 100. The intake portals also provide access to clean the inside of the wail section 100, prior to dismantling the wall section 100 when no longer needed. At such time, the plugs 302 may be removed from the perimeter tubes/chambers 300 of the ground skirt to release the water from the all the primary chambers 300, 404, 420. Water is drained from the secondary chambers in the flexible envelope by manual or mechanized opening of the portals to allow the accumulated floor water to drain out of the flexible envelope.

In an alternate embodiment (not shown), the water bags or perimeter chambers 300 on the ground skirt portion of the floor panel could be replaced with pockets for accepting weights or ballast material, for example metal bars, to be inserted in the pockets to weigh down the ground skirt. This may be useful for submersed installation applications, where the wall section is being installed in an existing body of water, for example to divide or damn the body of water, instead of at the shore or bank of the body of water in anticipation of flood conditions or high tide conditions. Denser than the water, the metal bars inserted in the pockets along the perimeter of the ground skirt with an overall density and weight sufficient to weigh it down on the bed or floor of the river, lake, sea, where the water itself will then also keep the ground skirt in such position. Use of flat metal bars helps the ground skirt lay flat or flush against the bed or floor of the body of water. The metal bars may be coated or provided with a surface finish to minimize direct exposure to the water over concerns of rust or other degradation of the metal, or toxic leaching from the metal into the water, depending on the metal used. Of course, ballast material other than metal bars may alternatively be employed.

The first embodiment with wall sections arranged for connection in-line with another employ rectangular ground skirts that will cooperate with rectangular section-connecting panels to join the rectangular ground skirts together end-to-end. It will be appreciated that wall sections to be connected together at angles to one another may have trapezoidal ground skirts that widen or narrow moving away from the flexible envelope depending on whether the wall sections are intended to form an inside or outside corner of the overall water barrier. Likewise, wall sections for forming an inside corner (i.e. where the front wall panels lie at an angle of greater than 180-degrees to one another) will have the connected ends of their flexible envelopes suitably angled so that the rear walls and floors of the envelopes will not interfere with one another.

FIGS. 13 to 15 illustrate an alternate fastening mechanism for interconnecting two wall sections at the front wall panels thereof. Each wall section has a primary connecting panel 600, 602 at each end of the wall section, instead of only at a single end. The drawings show the first connecting panel 600 of a first wall section, the second connecting panel of second wall section, where these two connecting panels are to be fastened together to join the two sections together end to end. Only a fractional length of each panel is shown.

Each panel 600, 602 has an attachment edge 600 a, 602 a attached to the wall section at the respective end wall 220 or end of the front wall panel 218, and an opposing fastening-edge portion 600 b, 602 b. The fastening edge portions are arranged to mate together in a conforming manner. In the first embodiment, a tongue and groove like arrangement is employed to mate the panels together with their surfaces lying substantially flush with one another. At the fastening-edge portions of the connecting panels, respective ribs 604, 606 project from the same side of the connecting panels. The sides of the ribs 604, 606 facing away from one another have saw-toothed profiles 604 a, 606 a. Each rib is of uniform cross-sectional profile over its length, and is resilient so as to allow flexing of the ribs away from one another upon application of a separating force, and return the ribs to a normal default state upon release of such force.

The facing-together sides of the ribs are positioned relative to the mating features of the two connecting panels such that when the panels are mated together, an accommodating space or channel is left open between the two ribs. An inflatable tube 608, closed at its free end opposite its connection to a pressurized source of gas, has an un-inflated diameter fitting within the channel between the two ribs without forcing the ribs apart out of their default positions. However, when sufficiently inflated, the pressure of the closed-ended tube 608 against the facing-together sides of the ribs will force the ribs to flex apart.

A channel-shaped member 610 has two parallel side walls 612, 614 and a central span 616 joining together the side walls at matching ends thereof. At an interior of each side wall, i.e. the side thereof facing the opposite side wall, the side wall has a saw tooth profile 612 a, 614 a suitable for mating with the saw tooth profile of a respective one of the ribs on the connector panels.

Preferably the rib and channel saw-tooth profiles all match. The ribs, which may be integral molded features of the connecting panels, preferably angle slightly toward one another in their default conditions, and the saw-tooth profiles of the ribs and channel member will engage tightly over all teeth of the profile only once the ribs are forced slightly outward from their default positions. This way, the channel member is easily engaged into place by lowering its open end down over the ribs until the lowermost tooth on each side of the channel member engages the lowermost tooth slot on the respective rib, as the slightly pointed-together configuration of the uppermost teeth on the ribs while the ribs are in their normal positions will minimize interference with passage of the lower teeth of the channel member down past these upper teeth of the ribs. However, once the channel member is fully lowered into position, and the closed-ended tube is inflated, the inflated tube will force the upper teeth of the ribs outward into tight engagement with the toothed profiles of the channel member walls, thus providing a strong resistance to removal of the channel member from over the ribs through the multi-tooth engagement of the channel member with each rib.

The channel member's position embracing over the two ribs over the full length of the connecting panels from the header of each wall section down to the front edge of the ground skirt thus securely fastens the two connecting panels together, with the male/female tongue and groove of the connecting panels cooperating together with the channel-member covering of the interface between the panels providing a substantially water tight connection between the two wall sections.

In the first embodiment, the first connecting panel 600 has a short tongue 600 c fitting into a shallow groove or slot 602 c of the second panel 602, and the second panel 602 has a longer tongue 602 d fitting into a deeper groove or slot 600 d in the first panel. This creates multiple layers of overlap at both of the panels and increases the overall area at which the two panels engage, thus minimizing water seepage through the joint between the two panels. Although not illustrated by the small partial length of the fastener shown in the drawings, the tongue and groove arrangement between the two panels preferably alternates back and forth along the length of the panels. That is, at one position along the mating edges of the panels, the shorter tongue and the deep groove/slot are defined on the first panel, with the longer tongue and shallow groove/slot defined on the second panel, but at a next position along the edges, the arrangement is reversed, with the shorter tongue and the deep groove/slot defined on the second panel and the longer tongue and shallow groove/slot defined on the first panel. This way, in addition to blocking movement of the two panels relative to one another in a direction perpendicular to the surfaces of the panel, the tongue and groove engagement of the panels also prevents relative movement between the panels in a direction along the length of their mating edges.

It will be appreciated that the above fastening mechanism may also be employed for applications other than interconnection of flood barrier wall sections.

FIGS. 17 to 24 show a second embodiment water containment or barrier system of the present invention. Similar to the first embodiment detailed above, the system can form a barrier of selected length by coupling together a plurality of sections or units end to end with one another. Each section features a flexible envelope that defines an interior space that can be collapsed in a longitudinal direction through an accordion-like pleated folding of flexible walls of the envelope under bringing together of a pair of ends walls of the envelope that are disposed adjacent opposite ends of this longitudinal dimension of the section. Again, support ribs disposed at discrete locations along the longitudinal dimension of the expanded envelope support the same in a predetermined shape and upright orientation in which a front side of the envelope faces toward the water to be contained (e.g. floodwater), and an opposing rear side faces away from the water. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in a number of ways however, as outlined herein below.

From the drawings, it will be readily noted that the overall shape of each section 100′ in the second embodiment differs from that of the first. The rectangular front and rear wall panels 218′, 118′ of the expanded envelope 10′ are both generally planar in form and obliquely sloped in the second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment where the front wall is vertical and the rear wall is of concave arcuate configuration. The section 100′ of the second embodiment thus has a triangular or A-frame shaped configuration with a peaked top end or header. The support ribs 112′ are thus not bow-shaped or arc-shaped like in the first embodiment, and do not reside only at the rear side of the envelope. Each support rib 112′ instead may be a rod of linear or substantially linear configuration, for example a fibre-reinforced polymer rod formed by pultrusion. Each support rib at the rear wall 118′ of the flexible envelope matches up with a respective support rib at the front wall 218′ of the flexible envelope, with this pair of ribs being coupled together at the peaked top end of the flexible envelope. The flexible envelope is thus suspended beneath the A-frame structure defined by each coupled-together pair of ribs at the respective location along the longitudinal axis of the envelope's expanded shape. A rectangular floor or bottom panel 318′ spans between the lower ends of the front and rear wall panels 218′, 118′ to form the underside of the envelope that sits atop the ground during use. Closing off of the interior space of the envelope is completed by triangular end wall panels 220′ disposed adjacent opposite ends of the longitudinal dimension of the envelope.

The second embodiment does away with the rigid rods that run along the top end or header of the envelope in the first embodiment, and instead employs an inflatable header tube 104′ forming a sealed air space of elongated form running the longitudinal dimension of the flexible envelope between the end walls 220 thereof. The air space of the header tube 104′ is sealed off from the interior space of the envelope, which is to be filled with water to weigh down the envelope and hold back the body of water to be contained by the barrier, much like in the first embodiment. As shown in the drawings, this separation of the header tube 104′ may be accomplished by installing the header tube 104′ externally of the walls of the envelope 10′.

Instead of filling the entire envelope with pressurized air from a pump or compressor in order to extend it into the expanded condition ready for use, as described above for the first embodiment, the second embodiment envelope can be expanded from its collapsed storage/transport condition by inflating only the smaller volume of the header tube 104′. The forced expansion of the tube in the longitudinal direction by the pumped-in air likewise drawing out the folded up front and rear wall panels of the envelope during this action. When the section 100′ is collapsed for storage, the flexible-walled header tube 104′ collapses in an accordion or pleated manner in the longitudinal direction just like the front and rear wall panels 218, 118. Once the header tube 104′ is inflated and the air source disconnected, the header tube 104′ is sealed closed, for example by a manual plug or a self-closing valve at the air coupling to which the air hose of the compressor or pump was connected, whereby the pressurized air introduced in the header tube is retained therein. This retains the expanded, elongated form of the header tube in order to retain the flexible envelope 10′ in the expanded condition until the air is later released by opening of the header tube. Accordingly, the assembly of rigid header rods used at the top of the envelope to maintain the shape thereof in the first embodiment can be omitted in the second embodiment in order to reduce the setup complexity and time.

The header tube 104′ is shown at the top end of the front wall 218′ of the envelope 210′, to provide the expansion-retaining functionality of the header tube at the front wall 218′ while minimizing the potential for possible puncturing of the header tube 104′ by debris carried in the body of water. A second air tube 105 may be provided at another position on the flexible envelope 10′, for example at an intermediate height on the rear wall 118. The use of multiple air tubes provides an increased shape-retaining effect to the expanded state of the envelope 10′, and provides a safety redundancy in case one of the two air tubes should somehow be punctured.

With reference to FIGS. 18 to 20, the interior space of the expanded shape of the envelope is divided up along the longitudinal dimension thereof by widthwise divider walls 700, 702 lying in planes perpendicular to an axis marking the longitudinal dimension. The widthwise divider walls 700, 702 are each of generally triangular or trapezoidal shape, the triangular divider walls 702 being equal in shape of the end walls 220′ and the generally trapezoidal walls 700 being similar to a truncated shape of the end walls 220′. The base of each widthwise divider wall attaches to the floor panel 318′, and the obliquely upright sides of the widthwise divider wall attach to the front and rear walls 218, 118. The top end of each triangular divider wall 702 reaches the peak of the flexible envelope, while the top end 700 a of each generally trapezoidal wall 700 stops short of the envelope peak. In the illustrated embodiment, the triangular dividers wails 702 are used at the locations of the support ribs 112′ along the longitudinal dimension of the envelope, and each trapezoidal divider wall 700 resides at an intermediate location between two triangular dividers walls, or between an end-one of said triangular divider walls and a respective end wall 220′ of the envelope. Each triangular divider wall 702 features a through-hole 702 a therein a short height below the peak of the envelope and at or near the height of the top end.

Each trapezoidal chamber of the interior space of the flexible envelope is further subdivided into a number of subchambers. As best shown in FIG. 20, two central subchambers 704 lie adjacent one another beneath the peak of the flexible envelope, each on a respective side of a vertical center wall 706 that runs longitudinally of the flexible envelope directly under the peak thereof. A tall longitudinal wall 708 lies parallel to the center wall 706 on each side thereof under a respective one of the sloped front and rear wall panels 218′, 118′ of the flexible envelope in order to close off the side of the respective central subchamber 704 that is located opposite the central wall 706. A cutout 710 is provided in the top edge of each longitudinal wall 708 a at a location over each trapezoidal divider wall 700, and the remainder of the top edge of each tall longitudinal wall 708 attaches to the respective one of the sloped front and rear walls 218′, 118′ of the flexible envelope.

Referring to FIG. 18 or 19, beneath each of the sloped front and rear walls 218′, 118′, a first short longitudinal wall 712 lies parallel to the respective tall longitudinal wall 708 at a first distance laterally outward therefrom, and a second short longitudinal wall 714 lies parallel to the respective tali longitudinal wall 708 at a greater second distance laterally outward therefrom. The first and second short walls 712, 714 are both shorter than the respective tall longitudinal wall 708, and the second short wall 714 is shorter than the first short wall 712 due to its position further outward along the triangular shape of the flexible envelope 10′. Like the tall longitudinal walls 708, the first and second short longitudinal walls have their upper edges attached to the respective one of the sloped front and rear walls 218′, 118′ of the flexible envelope, except at respective cutouts 728 in these upper edges. In each trapezoidal chamber of the interior space of the flexible envelope, on both the front and rear sides of the peak of the flexible envelope, the space between the tall longitudinal wall 708 and the first short longitudinal wall 712 defines a first cascading subchamber 718, the space between the first short longitudinal wall 712 and the second short longitudinal wall 714 defines a second cascading subchamber 720, and the space on the outer side of the second short longitudinal wall 714 defines a third cascading subchamber 722. A lower end of each tall longitudinal wall 708 is attached to the floor panel 318′ over the full span of each first cascading chamber from one widthwise divider 700, 702 to the next. Each of the first and second shorter walls 712, 714 on the other hand features a cutout or opening 724 at its lower edge in, as show in FIG. 23, with the remainder of the lower edge of the short longitudinal wall 712, 714 attached the floor panel 318′.

With reference to FIG. 22, an L-shaped fill pipe 726 projects radially from a the header tube 104′ of each barrier section 100′ near and end of the header tube 104′ before turning axially thereof, where an inlet end of the fill pipe 726 a carries a suitable fitting 727 a for coupling to a water hose. The fill pipe 726 a passes fully through the interior of the header tube 104 without fluid communication between the two, and passes onward through the front wall 218′ of the flexible envelope into the hollow interior space thereof at a location just beneath the peak thereof. Here, an outlet end of the fill pipe is positioned generally over the top end of the center longitudinal wall 706 inside the flexible envelope a short distance inside the respective end wall panel 220′ of the flexible envelope so that water pumped into the hollow interior of the flexible envelope through the fill pipe 726 a pours into the two central subchambers 704 of the trapezoidal chamber between this end wall panel 220′ and the trapezoidal widthwise divider wall 700 there adjacent. As the central longitudinal wall 706 and the two tall longitudinal walls 708 on either side thereof are attached to the floor panel 318′ over their full spans of these central subchambers, and are attached to the end wall panel 220′ and the adjacent widthwise divider wall 700 over their full heights, the two central subchambers 704 fill up with water independently of one another and before water enters the cascading subchambers.

The widthwise divider walls 700, 702, at the central subchambers, include lower cutouts of the same type mentioned above for the shorter longitudinal walls 712, 714, whereby water initially introduced in the central subchambers of the first trapezoidal chamber of the envelope interior can flow onward down the longitudinal dimension of the envelope into the central subchambers of the other trapezoidal chambers of the envelope. When all the central subchambers are substantially filled, the water level rises slightly further, thus reaching the cutouts 710 at the tall longitudinal walls 708. These cutouts 710 form openings between each of these tall longitudinal walls 708 and the respective one of the sloped front or rear wall 218′, 118′ of the envelope. At each such cutout opening 710, water cascades over the tall longitudinal wall 708 from the central subchambers 704 that are separated by the respective trapezoidal divider wall 700 at this cutout. The water thus cascades into the first cascading subchambers 718 of the two trapezoidal chambers divided by that trapezoidal divider wall 700.

The water cascading or spilling into each first cascading subchamber will initially be allowed to flow into the second and third cascading subchambers 720, 722 of the same trapezoidal chamber of the flexible envelope via the openings or ports provided by the lower end cutouts 724 in the short longitudinal walls 712, 714, thus spreading water out over the full span of the floor panel 318′ of the flexible envelope. The water level then builds up in the cascading chambers. The top edge cutouts 728 in the short longitudinal walls 712, 714 create openings between these walls and the respective one of the sloped front and rear walls 218, 118 of the envelope at the top of these walls in each trapezoidal chamber so that water from a full cascading chamber can flow into a neighbouring cascading chamber of the same trapezoidal chamber.

Once the interior space of the envelope has been filled with water, as described above, should the front or rear wall tear on either side of one of the trapezoidal dividers at one of the cascading subchambers, the water disposed in the cascading subchambers on the other side of that divider will still be safely retained within the flexible envelope. That is, the widthwise divider walls 700 divide the cascading subchambers of the envelope into groups that are fluidly separated from one another along the length of the flexible envelope.

Through the described arrangement of central chambers and cascading chambers of lesser height than the central chambers on each side of the central chambers, the entire length of the flexible envelope will receive water at the central chambers first in order to provide water weight to the full length of the barrier before the water in the envelope spreads laterally outward to the cascading chambers, where it further increase the roll stability of the barrier by weighing down the full span of the floor panel 318′. This benefit of cascade style filling from at least one central chamber to at least one lateral cascading chamber on each side thereof may be used regardless of whether the interior space is also divided up along its length, regardless of whether the space that is cascade-fed from the central chamber(s) is further subdivided by shorter longitudinal walls outward from the walls of the central chamber(s), and regardless of whether there is only one central chamber beneath the peak or multiple closed bottom central chambers. Likewise, the failsafe redundancy measure provided by lengthwise division of the envelope interior can be used regardless of whether cascade-style filling is employed. Where cascade-style filling is employed, the use of multiple central chambers in the lateral direction also provides a failsafe advantage in that in the event of a tear in the central chamber on the front side of the peak, weight is still provided to the rear side of the peak by the remaining central chamber.

As shown in FIG. 20, top end cutouts 730 may be provided in the central longitudinal wall 706, for example at positions matching the cutouts 710 of the tall longitudinal walls 708 disposed on opposing sides thereof in order to contribute to even filling of both central subchambers prior to the cascading chambers. As shown, a ledge 732 may project from each tall longitudinal wall between each pair of adjacent triangular walls 702 at a height just below the cutout 710, and reach the respective sloped front or rear wall on the side of this wall opposite the central wall 706. In the illustrated embodiment, a hole 734 is provided in the ledge, for example at location matching cutouts 710 and 730 so as to span over and across the respective trapezoidal wall 700, to allowing falling of water through the hole 734 into the first cascading chamber. The central, tall and short longitudinal walls, and the ledge 732 are all foldably flexible material so as to be folded up in a pleat or accordion type manner for collapse of the envelope in the longitudinal direction.

To couple two barrier sections 100′ of the second embodiment together, a fastening flap 736 (shown in FIGS. 17 to 19) projects from the lower edge of a respective one of the end wall panels 220′ to jut outward therefrom in the longitudinal direction, and may for example be a continuation or extension of the floor panel 318. A topside of this fastening flap 736 is equipped with either hook elements or loop elements of a hook and loop fastening arrangement, and a matching strip of the other type of hook or loop fastening material is attached to the underside of the floor panel 318′ adjacent the other end wall panel. Two sections are attachable together by sitting the fastener-equipped end of the floor panel atop the fastening flap 936 of the other section.

With the floor panels of the two barrier sections so coupled together, the front wall panels of the barrier sections and the rear wall panels thereof are then fastened together using the mechanism of FIGS. 13 to 15, or a similar mechanism of the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 24. The mechanism is substantially the same, with the most notable differences being that the ribs 604′, 606′ are installed directly on the wall panels 218′, 118′ of the flexible envelopes, and not on connecting panels that project therefrom, and that the mating profile between each rib and the respective side wall 612′, 614′ of the channel member 610′ is not saw-toothed. Instead a lobe or tear-drop shaped ear 740 with a rounded tip 740 a projects laterally outward from the rib 604′, 606′ to the side thereof pointing toward the opposite end of the envelope on which the rib is mounted, and a rounded recess 742 on the inner side of the respective side wall 612′, 614′ of the channel member is provided for mating receipt of the rounded tip 740 a of the respective lobe-shaped ear 740. In addition, a tongue 744 projecting laterally out from one of the ribs 604′ to the same side thereof as the lobe shaped ear of that rib 604′ engages in a mating groove 746 jutting into the respective side wall 612′ of the channel member 610′ from the inner side thereof, while a second tongue 748 projecting from the base 749 that carries the other rib 606′ on the respective barrier section 100′ engages in a mating groove 750 jutting into the respective side wall 614′ of the channel member 610′ from the distal end of this side wall 614′ opposite the central span of the channel 610′. These two tongue and groove joints engage with one another in perpendicular directions to minimize inadvertent removal of the channel member 610′ from a suitable position for engagement by the ribs 604′, 606′ under actuation of the inflatable tube 608. As shown in FIG. 25, each end of the channel member 610′ may be closed off by a respective end wall to prevent ingress of material that may affect the integrity of the joint formed by the ribs and channel member.

As with the first embodiment, multiple barrier sections 100′ may be coupled together prior to filling thereof with water in order to achieve filling of multiple sections though a single connection of one water source, and optionally also for air-driven expansion of the multiple sections through single connection of a single pressurized air source.

Referring to FIGS. 25 and 26, an L-shaped water connection pipe 726 b of the same form of the fill pipe 726 a may be provided at the opposite end of the flexible envelope and provided with a second fitting 727 b matable with the type of the fitting 727 a on the fill pipe 726 a. This way, the second fitting 727 b one barrier section 100′ provides a water outlet of that first barrier section for coupling to the fill pipe of another barrier section. This way, once the first barrier section is full of water, continued pumping of water into the first barrier section will act to fill the second barrier section. In the illustrated embodiment, the fill pipe 726 a and connection pipe 726 b both pass through the header tube 104′ to reach the interior of the of flexible envelope, but it will be appreciated that other arrangements may be employed. In the illustrated embodiment, the high position of the water connection pipe means that the first section must be substantially filled to maximum levels before the second section will begin filling, but it will be appreciated that other configurations are also possible within the scope of the present invention.

As best shown in FIG. 21, to expand two or more barrier sections from the collapsed transport/storage condition using a single connection of a single air source to a single air tube, an air connection pipe or hose 752 may be coupled between an air outlet fitting 754 at the end of the header or rear-side air tube 104′, 105 of one section and an air inlet fitting 756 at the opposite end of the matching air tube 104′, 105 of the other section. This way, the air inlet fitting 756 of each air tube 104′, 105 of an end-one of the sections in a series of barrier sections may be used to fill the matching air tubes of the other sections for expansion of the all the sections through this single input.

Referring back to FIG. 25, small nodules or protuberances 757 at spaced apart positions feature may be provided on the underside of the floor panel 318′ to somewhat sink into a yielding ground surface (sand, dirt, mud, etc.) on which the barrier may be used in order to provide an increased gripping effect for roll resistance and lateral stability. Under use on a hard surface such as concrete, the notable weight of the water inside the flexible envelope will downwardly force the flexible floor panel 318′ sufficiently downward at areas around the protuberances 757 to form a seal with the hard surface between the nodules or protuberances.

Referring to FIG. 23, a beam 758 or other elongate member may have the lower ends of the front and rear support ribs 112′ attached thereto such that the beam 758 runs across the floor panel 318′, for example running across the topside of the floor panel 318′ and projecting through openings of the front and rear walls 218′, 118′ that are sealed around the beam, where the beam then joins up to the external support ribs 112′ from which the flexible envelope suspended. The beam, like the support rods, is made of a material of notable greater rigidity than the material of the flexible envelope. In such an embodiment, supports rods and beam combine to form a relatively or substantially rigid A-frame to maintain the triangular shape of the flexible envelope in cross-sectional planes perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of its expanded shape.

When use of the barrier is no longer required, drain plugs 760 are opened. Each trapezoidal chamber along the length dimension of the expanded envelope is provided with a respective pair of drain plugs 60 near the lower edges of the front and rear walls 218, 118 of the envelope respectively, whereby, via the lower cutouts 724 in the short longitudinal walls between the cascading subchambers, the drain plug at the front wall 218′ drains the cascading chambers on the front side of the peak, and the drain plug at the rear wall 118′ drains the cascading chambers on the rear side of the peak. A pair of drain ports 760 is also provided near the lower end of at least one of the end wall panels 220 for draining of the central subchambers 704 of the envelope interior.

The second embodiment may be used as a quick-deployment flood barrier, for example as an alternative to setup of the taller first and third embodiment solutions. In one mode of installation, the accordion-folded wall section may be placed on a flat bed or other truck/trailer configuration, and a first end of the wall section is pulled off the truck/trailer and secured at the ground. The truck is driven away from the secured end, whereby the wall section automatically unfolds itself off the back of the truck/trailer, thus laying itself out in substantially expanded condition ready for inflation of the air tubes and water-filling of the internal chambers.

Turning to FIG. 27, a third embodiment of the present invention is an amalgamation of elements of the first two embodiments. Each wall section 100″ features a flexible envelope 10″ with the same front wall panel 218, end wall panels 220, floor panel 318, vertical primary chambers 420 and ground skirt of the first embodiment. However, instead of the lower end of each secondary vertical chamber 421 being terminated by a generally horizontal top wall of flat bottom chamber, it is instead terminated by the sloped front wall 800 of a triangular base 802 having a makeup that is similar to the flexible envelope of the second embodiment, but with fewer trapezoidal chambers inside it. With reference to FIG. 28, the rear side of the third embodiment wall section thus features an arcuately contoured upper wall portion 804 that spans the full longitudinal dimension of the flexible envelope between the end walls 220 thereof, thus having the same form as the upper portion of the first embodiment's arcuate rear wall 118, but then also features the linear sloping rear wall 806 of the base 802, and the peak 807 of the base from which the base's front wall 800 slopes downwardly and forwardly for connecting to the lower end of the front wall 218 through the space between two adjacent primary vertical chambers 420.

The rear of each primary vertical chamber 420 has the same arcuate span as the first embodiment's arcuate rear wall 118, i.e. reaching all the way down from the top end or header of the wall section 100″ to the rear end of the floor panel 318. Arcuate support ribs 112 of a type equal or similar to those of the first embodiment run down the arcuate rear side of the primary vertical chambers 420 at the exterior thereof. Accordingly, each base 802 is separated from the next base along the longitudinal direction of the flexible envelope 10″ by a respective one of the primary vertical chambers 420, thus leaving a gap between each pair of adjacent bases to accommodate passage of the arcuate support rib 112 therebetween the trapezoidal internal chambers of the base are entirely closed off from the primary and secondary vertical chambers in a fluid tight manner. The sides of the sloped front wall 800 of each base are attached to the divider walls 420 a of the primary vertical chambers 420 over their full length down to where the bottom front end of this wall 800 is likewise joined to the front wall panel 218, or to the floor panel 318, at or adjacent the corner between the front wall panel 218 and floor panel 318. The floor panel 318 spans the bottom of all the chambers (i.e. the primary and secondary vertical chambers, and the trapezoidal chambers of the bases). Just like the second embodiment wall section, each base 802 has linear support ribs 112′ running externally of its front and rear walls 800, 806 at spaced apart locations along the longitudinal dimension of the wall section 100″. The advantage of using of support-ribbed triangular bases 802 instead of the generally flat and rectangular bottom chambers of the first embodiment to weigh down the containment wall section 100″ is twofold, in that the triangular base is of greater volume, thus providing greater weight when filled with water, and in that the support ribs 112′ of the base 800 cooperate with the arcuate ribs 112 to provide greater overall structural integrity to the wall section 100″.

The third embodiment wall section 100″ uses two air tubes for extending the unit in the longitudinal direction into the expanded state and maintaining the same. A front side air tube 104″ is carried externally of the primary and secondary vertical chambers at the front wall 218 of the overall wall section 100″ near the top end thereof, i.e. at or near the header of the wall section so as to replace the rigid header rods of the first embodiment. A rear side air tube 105′ is carried externally on the sloped front wall 800 of the bases 800 in order to run from one base to the next in the longitudinal direction at a location rearward of and outside the secondary vertical chambers 421, and above the primary vertical chambers 420. Each air tube 104″, 105′ may be configured with mating male and female features at opposing ends of the tube, whereby a male axial projection 808 at the end of the air tube of one wall section may be mated into a female axial recess in the other end of the matching air tube of another wall section in order to couple the air tubes together during end-to-end assembly of two wall sections 100″. The two air tubes are used in the same manner as described above for the second embodiment, allowing expansion of the flexible envelope in the longitudinal direction by inflation of the air tubes, which are subsequently left in the inflated state during filling of the flexible envelope with water and use of the wall section 100″ for anti-flood or other water containment measures.

The triangular barrier sections 100′ of the second embodiment employed L-shaped filler and connection pipes for introducing water into the wall section in order to provide an axial inlet of each pipe that doesn't project beyond the respective end wall 220′ of the flexible envelope 10′ so that these pipes wouldn't interfere with face to face abutment of the end walls 220′ of two of the second embodiment barrier sections together 100′. However, in the third embodiment, as the base 800 at each end of the wall section 100″ spaced somewhat inward from the end wall 220 of the overall section 100″ due to the presence of a respective end one of the primary vertical chambers 420 beside this base, the base 800 adjacent the end of one wall section 100″ does not abut up directly adjacent the base adjacent the respective end of the other wall section when the two sections are connected together end-to-end. Accordingly, the third embodiment employs purely axial inlet and outlet ports, pipes or fittings 826 extending through an end wall 828 of each base that is disposed adjacent a respective end of the overall wall structure 100′. This is shown in FIG. 28 where the axial inlet 826 can be seen just below the peak 807 of such an end base. Between these two end bases disposed adjacent opposite ends of the overall wall structure, each pair of adjacent bases is connected by a flexible connection that resides in-line with the axial inlet and outlet of the end bases just below the peaks of the bases. Accordingly, coupling of a water supply line to the inlet 826 at one of the end bases can be used to fill the entire series of end bases with water.

The third embodiment also differs from the first in that the two wall sections 100″ are coupled together with their end walls 220 substantially abutted up in contact with or close proximity to one another. To accomplish this, the type of fastening mechanism described above with reference to FIG. 24 of the second embodiment is used on both the front and rear sides of the walls sections 100″. The front vertical walls and rear arcuate sides of the primary vertical chambers adjacent the ends of the wall structures 100 thus feature ribs of the type shown in FIG. 24 such a respective channel member 610′ can be fastened over the ribs at the front side of the two walls sections, and another channel member 610′ fitted over the ribs at the rear side of the two wall sections. This provides a failsafe redundancy whereby failure or inadvertent release of one fastener will still leave the other intact to hold the two wall sections together. In the illustrated embodiment, the ribs of the rear fastening mechanism run the full span of the arcuate rear sides of the end ones of the primary vertical chambers, and the ribs of the front fastening mechanism run down the front wall 218 from adjacent the front air tube 104″ to adjacent the ground skirt.

As end walls 220 of the sections 100″ of the third embodiment are abutted up against one another in assembling the wall sections together 100″, filling of the primary chambers of the flexible envelope is not performed at the end walls 220, but rather via a fill port valve or fitting 830 near the top end of the front wall 218 adjacent a respective end of the wall section 100″. This fitting feeds into the respective primary vertical chamber at this end of the walls section. Near the top end of the front wall 218 adjacent the opposite end of the walls section 100″, a transfer or connection fitting 832 is provided, and is in communication with the respective primary vertical chamber at this end of the wall section 100″. A flexible hose 834 can thus be connected from the transfer/connection fitting 832 of one wall section to the fill port valve or fitting 830 of the next wall section for filling of both wall sections by coupling of a water supply hose to the fill port valve or fitting of the first wall section. The manner in which the primary vertical chambers are filled is the same as the first embodiment. However, the bases 802 are preferably filled with water first to provide stability prior to filling the vertical chambers. The manner in which the interior space of each base is filled closely follows that described for the second embodiment barrier sections 100′, and thus is not repeated.

FIGS. 31 and 32 show an anchor boot or foot 122′ of the third embodiment, with FIG. 31 specifically showing use of the anchor boot only with an auger bolt 128 and without use of any optional anchoring appendages, such as a removable spike plate like that of FIG. 3. With no spike plate or other appendage attachment, the anchor boot or foot 122′ may still provide some notable anchoring effect, for example by being formed of, or at least comprising an underside of, rubber or other material providing a notable coefficient of friction on hard surfaces such as concrete. FIG. 32 illustrates installation of an attachment plate with downward-depending appendages at the underside of the boot, particularly illustrating spade-shaped appendages 840 as an alternative to the spike-style appendages of FIG. 3. FIG. 33 illustrates addition of a bumper mechanism 900 to the third embodiment wall sections 100″ in order to prevent direct impact of debris in the body of water being contained with the front wall 218 of the wall section 100″. The bumper comprises a hollow shell 902 of elongated form running in the longitudinal direction of the wall section 100″ and having a uniform cross-section in planes perpendicular to the longitudinal direction when in its uncompressed form. The shell 902 is made of flexible material so that the shape of the bumper can deform under impact by debris. The illustrated bumper is tear-dropped in cross-sectional shape, growing wider in the direction moving away from the front wall 218 of the wall section 100″ to a rounded end distal thereto, although other shapes may be employed.

At spaced apart positions along the longitudinal dimension of the wall section 100″, for example at positions each matching up with a respective one of the arcuate support ribs 112 thereof, respective guide wires 904 each run vertically up the front wall 218 of the flexible envelope of the wall section 100″ a short distance outward therefrom, for example from a generally ground-level anchor point attached to the ground skirt to an overhead anchor point at the underside of the header air tube 104″. Each guide wire runs through the bumper 900, for example at a seam of the shell 902 that runs in the longitudinal direction at the narrow end of the shell's cross-section adjacent the front wall 218. With reference to FIG. 34, a plurality of water intake ports 906 are provided at an underside of the bumper shell 902 at spaced apart positions along the longitudinal dimension, and a plurality of water jets 908 are likewise provided at spaced apart positions along the longitudinal dimension, but at the rounded distal end of the bumper shell 902.

Turning to FIG. 35, an interior of the bumper shell 902 is divided into a lower water chamber 910 and an upper air chamber 912 therebeneath by a flexible diaphragm 914 of rubber or other suitable material. The lower chamber 910 is filled with water, the upper chamber 912 is filled with air, and the diaphragm maintains segregation of the two fluids. The air-filled upper chamber is positively buoyant, wanting to float atop any floodwater 1000 present on the ground skirt below the bumper 900, while the water-filled lower chamber has neutral buoyancy, tending to neither rise nor sink in the floodwater. The overall buoyancy of the bumper is such that it will tend to ride generally at the level of the floodwater, with the air chamber tending to float atop the surface of the water, and the water chamber tending to remain submerged. A check valve 916 installed at each inlet port 906 of the water chamber 910 prevents water from exiting the water chamber through these ports, and also prevents ingress of floodwater into the water chamber of the bumper except when the floodwater pressure outside the port sufficiently exceeds pressure inside the chamber.

Under impact of the rounded end of the bumper by a log or other floating debris of notable momentum, the air chamber of the bumper is compressed, reducing the internal volume of same and thus increasing the air chamber pressure. The increased pressure on the air side of the diaphragm forces the diaphragm down against the water in the water chamber, thereby forcing some of this water out of the bumper through the jets 908, as shown in broken lines in FIG. 35. After the force of impact has been absorbed, the air chamber will decompress and return to its normal shape as its pressure equalizes with the atmosphere. Having had some of its water discharged through the jets 908, the water chamber pressure is now less than the body of flood water, and so the check valve 916 opens up (as shown by broken-line open position of FIG. 35), thereby allowing floodwater 1000 to enter the water chamber 910 for refilling of same until the pressure is equalized. The bumper thus regains its normal original shape and internal state, and thus is ready to absorb another impact. Automatically riding at water level, the bumper thus protects the front wall 218 of the flood barrier from impact in order to prevent puncture of same.

In summary of the forgoing embodiments, unique water containment wall or barriers employ a flexible envelope that is extendable in a longitudinal direction from a collapsed condition for storage and transport into an expanded position for use. Support ribs of greater rigidity than the envelope material are disposed at spaced apart positions along the longitudinal direction provide support and shape retention to the envelope, the interior of which is fillable with water to weigh down the envelope down against oncoming or expanding waters. A unique fastening mechanism attaches a pair of wall or barrier sections together by using an inflatable member to force apart a pair of profiled ribs on the two sections into engagement with matching-profile walls of a channel member that bridges together the two sections over the ribs. A bumper mechanism rises and falls with water levels to protect the wall or barrier against impact by floating debris. It will be appreciated that various combinations of these and other advantageous configurations disclosed herein are within the scope of the present invention, including use of these features independently of one another.

Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without department from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense. 

1. A water containment apparatus comprising a flexible envelope enclosing an expandable and collapsible interior space and having an expanded shape defining a front side to be faced toward the body of water, a rear side situated opposite the front panel to face away from the body of water, an underside spanning between lower ends of the front and rear sides to lie atop the ground, a top end joining together the front and rear sides, and a pair of end walls at opposing ends of a longitudinal dimension of the envelope; supports ribs attached to the flexible envelope at spaced apart locations along the longitudinal dimension of the envelope; and a primary filling mechanism through which water is introducible into the interior space to build up an accumulation of water in said interior space to weigh down the envelope against the ground in a stationary position in which the front side of the envelope blocks spread of the body of water.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the flexible envelope is collapsible into a compact condition the longitudinal dimension by bringing together of the end walls.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a respective ground anchor connected to a lower end of each support rib.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the flexible envelope is suspended from the support ribs. 5-6. (canceled)
 7. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising an air inlet on the flexible envelope and connectable to an air pump or compressor for forced air expansion of the flexible envelope from the collapsed condition to the expanded shape.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the air inlet communicates with a sealed air chamber that runs along the longitudinal dimension of the flexible envelope and is separated from water-receiving areas of the interior space that fed by the filling mechanism.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the sealed air chamber is positioned at or adjacent the top end of the flexible envelope.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the front and rear sides of the expanded shape of the flexible envelope slope upwardly toward one another to form a peak at the top end of the flexible envelope.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the interior space of the flexible envelope comprises divided chambers, the divided chambers including at least one central chamber disposed beneath the peak of the flexible envelope and fed with water by the filling mechanism, and a respective cascading chamber on each side of the at least one central chamber under a respective one of the sloped front and rear sides of the flexible envelope, each cascading chamber being fully separated from said at least one central chamber over a substantial height of the cascading chamber while leaving an opening to the at least one central chamber through which water can cascade from the at least one central chamber into the cascading chamber under substantial filling of the at least one central chamber with water from the filling mechanism. 12-13. (canceled)
 14. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a fastening flap extending outward along the longitudinal dimension of the flexible envelope at one of the end walls thereof, wherein a topside of the fastening flap and an end portion of the underside of the flexible envelope adjacent the other end wall have opposite ones of hook and loop fastener elements to enable fastening together of two of said apparatus end-to-end using said hook and loop fastener elements by seating of the end portion of the underside of one of said two apparatus atop the fastening flap of the other of said two apparatus.
 15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the support ribs comprise arc-shaped support ribs positioned at the rear side of the flexible envelope, and an outside of the arc-shape of each arc-shaped support rib faces toward the front side of the flexible envelope.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein each arc-shaped support rib is pre-loaded into the arc-shape and held in said arc-shape by a tension member coupled between upper and lower end of said arc-shaped support.
 17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the interior space of the flexible envelope is divided into a plurality of chambers, the plurality of chambers including a plurality of primary chambers fed by the primary filling mechanism, and secondary chambers independent of said primary filling mechanism.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the primary chambers include upright primary chambers located between the front and rear sides of the flexible envelope and above the underside thereof at spaced apart locations along the longitudinal dimension. 19-21. (canceled)
 22. The apparatus of claim 18 comprising a ground skirt extending from the front side of the flexible envelope for lying beneath the body of water, wherein the ground skirt comprises one or more primary ground skirt chambers fed by the primary filling mechanism. 23-35. (canceled)
 36. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a bumper mechanism is supported in front of said vertical side for blocking impact of the front side by flowing debris in the body of water.
 37. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the bumper is supported for displaceable movement up and down the front side of the flexible envelope with rise and fall of the body of water at said front side. 38-40. (canceled)
 41. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a fastening mechanism operable to connect together two of said apparatus end-to-end, wherein the fastening mechanism comprises first and second flexible ribs running from adjacent the top end of the front side toward to the lower end of the front side at opposite ends thereof and projecting from the front side away in a direction away from the rear side, each rib having a profiled side pointing to the opposite end of flexible envelope; a channel-shaped member having inwardly facing profiles on opposing side walls of the channel-shaped member that are matable with the profiled sides of the ribs, the channel-member being sized for fitting of said channel shaped member over the ribs of the two of said apparatus in a position pointing said profiles of the channel shaped member toward the profiled sides of said ribs; and an inflatable member arranged for receipt in a position between the ribs of the two of said apparatus for inflation of said inflatable member while in said position to force said ribs apart to drive the profiled sides of said ribs into tighter engagement with the profiles of the channel shaped member.
 42. A method of erecting a barrier for water containment, the method comprising (a) providing the apparatus of claim 1; (b) expanding the apparatus out of a collapsed state into the expanded shape; and (c) introducing water into an interior of the flexible envelope of the apparatus to build an accumulation of water therein to weigh down the flexible envelope.
 43. The method of claim 42 comprises using forced air to expand the flexible envelope out of the collapsed state before introducing the water into the interior of said flexible envelope. 44-50. (canceled) 